Amtrak

This was the first time that I took the Amtak train so I was looking forward to it. I was cutting it short on time, I was flustered and I couldn't find my credit/ATM card. I asked if I could give them the number with my pin and security number. They said no which didn't help. Then I took their bus to Stockton, CA and there is no actual train station just a parking lot, without a phone or bathroom! A lady that lives there also told me that area was the bad side of town, great. The train seemed to take forever standing in the cold without any covering! The customer service was lousy the people were very snooty,& cold no smiles. They cleaned the bathroom so they were clean but sprayed all the chemicals with the doors right by my seat, so it irritated my nose. I also thought the baggage area was very small, so I got to keep my bags with me at my seat. I didn't expect all the stops either but I guess that is to be expected. Would I do it again, yes but for the price there should be a bathroom & a phone for an emergency. It was an adventure!

Well, I am a big fan of Amtrak, but their are still some problems. First off, Amtrak is at the mercy of other trains. Since Amtrak never got the money to build their own line, they run on CSX, NS, UP, BNSF, CN, and commuter train lines. Because of this, the freight trains have first priority. However, certain trains have an on-time record. Where I live I get on the California Zephyr and boy train 6 is late 100% of the time. I have ridden trains 5 and 6 about 20 times. Out of those 20 times train 5 has been late over 30 minutes 7 times, I counted. But train 6 has been late 19 of those 20 times over an hour! Twice however, I drove down to La Junta, Colorado to get on the Southwest Chief. Train 4 was late each time an outstanding 5 minutes! Train 3 was on-time! Also, the California Zephyr traverses right over the Continental Divide and the Rocky Mountains causing outstanding delays. The Southwest Chief on the other hand traverses desert. The only pass that causes trouble is the Raton Pass. It delays train 4 usually about 1 hour, No biggy. But on average it is about a 15 minute minute delay. I was late once out of Denver 6 hours. What a hoot that was! Anyway, just to sum up Amtrak is a great way to travel for people who have time to travel, are prepared for delays, and people who are looking to save money.